Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

audiobook: 19 hours

narrated by Robin Miles

*** About the Book ***

There is a lot going on in this book but at its core it is the story of Nigeria in the 1960s.

Here is my huge oversimplification of the background, but I think you'll get the idea:

During the 1960s, in the throes of post-colonialism, military coups first reversed the power dynamic within Nigeria then restored it.  One large tribal group responded to its disenfranchisement (and to the ongoing violence) by breaking off from Nigeria and forming the country of Biafra.  Nigeria did not recognize Biafra as an independent nation though, and a war ensued.  Three years later the war ended with Nigeria being one united nation again, albeit not necessarily a peaceful and happy one.

This book focuses on the people of one moderately wealthy household (as well as their families and friends), and follows their experiences over almost 10 years.


*** Why I Listened to It ***

This book is on the 1,001 Books list, so it counts toward the 1% Well Read Challenge. I've also heard great things about it.


*** My Thoughts ***

I feel like I should have loved this book.  Don't get me wrong, it was a very good book ... I just think I should like it more than I actually did.

It is certainly not the fault of the characters.  The people in this book are fully fleshed out, they are dynamic, they are real.  Each character has his or her own qualities and flaws and they continue to exist in my mind as if they were living people.  Ugwu disappoints me, Richard is weak, Olanna is amazing and resilient, and Kainene ... oh, how I love Kainene, with her biting tongue and her independence.

It is also not the fault of the story itself.  This book is like a slice of life, taking everything that happened over a ten-year period and presenting it to the reader in all its beauty and its horror; the events of this story were the reality of life for people in Nigeria and Biafra at the time.  The beginning felt slow to me but in retrospect this allowed Adichie to bring me fully into the story and allow me to understand the differences in life before and during the war.

Maybe it is the subject matter?  This is in part a story of war, and war is truly horrible.  I don't think that is my problem though.

Maybe it is because this part of the world is not as familiar to me?  Maybe I don't have a vested interest?  I don't think that's it either.

I think part of the problem is that I wanted to react to this book in the same way I did to The Poisonwood Bible.  I loved that book from the very first few pages, and I've reread it several times.  Maybe the fact that the main characters are white Americans and I could identify with them contributed to that?  If so, is that the source of my disconnect with this book?  I really don't know.

What I do know is that this is an ambitious novel.  It succeeds in conveying the upheaval of a society through the lens of one family, and it does so with beautiful writing.  And yet I didn't love it.


*** Thoughts on the Narrator ***

I don't think I've heard Robin Miles narrate before but I'm very pleased with her performance.  She handled a wide variety of accents such as Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, English, and American, in a convincing way (I say "convincing" rather than "correct" because I'm unfamiliar with several of these accents) and she has an incredible range of voices at her command.

Also: Because I do not have experience with any of the myriad languages spoken in Africa I often have difficulty reading a book that includes place or people names in those languages.  I like to "hear" the correct pronunciation in my head as I read and often I'm not able to figure out what the correct pronunciation is.  It is enough of a problem for me that it will impede my enjoyment of a book.  For that reason books like this work very well for me in audio format.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Please let me know what YOU think of this book - Have you read it? Do you want to?

It's been a while since I linked to a bunch of other reviews but I think this book deserves that attention.  Like I said, I feel like I should have loved it more than I did, and many of these other reviews explain what is truly wonderful about this book.

• Amy Reads did an excellent review of this book, including a bit of a history lesson - I highly recommend that you check out her post
• Things Mean A Lot gives very thorough commentary on the book and the ways in which it successfully shows that "the personal is political"
• At Home With Books concludes her review by saying, "Yes, there are heartbreaking moments - how could there not be in a book about civil war? But, the stories of Ugwu, Richard, Olanna, Kainene and Odenigbo are full of life."
• Book Chatter read this 500+ page book as part of her book club and she highly recommends it
• Maw Books reacted the same why I did to one character's bad decision, but she is more forgiving of him than I am
• Violet Crush says the characters will "remain etched in your mind long after the book is over" - I couldn't agree more.
• Trish's Reading Nook felt the same way about Richard that I did, but we disagree on the ending of the book (I didn't think it could end any other way)

Literary LOLCats? Literary LOLCats!

I've told you before about Shmoop and what a great resource it is, but now they bring us the next best thing since sliced bread: Literary LOLCats!

For some reason I can't paste the images into this post but please do go check them out on their site.  There are 29 in total and they will definitely make you smile. :)

Friday Finds 10/08/10

It has been months since I've participated in Friday Finds and my poor TBR list is in withdrawl.  See, what I do is make a note of all the new books I want to read, but then I don't actually put them on the TBR list until I've mentioned them on Friday Finds.  At present I have over 30 books to talk about! But don't worry,  I won't include them all in this post. (I can hear your sigh of relief from here.)

Without further ado, here are 8 titles that have caught my eye over the past few months:


 
My Quotable Kid: A Parents' Journal of Unforgettable Quotes  - this is more of a gift item, but it's one that I want to remember to buy for several friends- found at 5 Minutes For Books





I LEGO N.Y., by Christopher Niemann - how could you NOT love that book?! - found at Alison's Book Marks




 
The Last Christian, by David Gregory - takes place in 2088, when a woman returning to the United States finds that Christianity has died out - found at Book Journey





 
Bog Child, by Siobhan Dowd - set in 1981 Ireland when the country is still dealing with The Troubles - found at Beth Fish Reads






 
A Hundred Feet Over Hell, by Jim Cooper - highly recommended Vietnam book - found at Savvy Verse and Wit







The Tiger, by John Vaillant - this is the book I am MOST excited about - it's the true story of a poacher who tried to kill a tiger and how the tiger then began stalking him - found at Books on the Nightstand





The Gendarme, by Mark Mustain - the cover of this one is what caught my attention, but the story sounds amazing - found at Amy Reads







To share your own list of books or to see what other bloggers are excited about, hop over to Should Be Reading and check out Friday Finds!

Non-Fiction 5 Challenge Recap

I've participated in this challenge for the past few years and it is one of my favorites.  For some reason I seem to read a great deal of non-fiction over the summer months and easily surpass the goal of 5 books between May and September.

I made a list of books that were already on my shelf and decided to work from that list for this challenge.  In the end I read only 3 of the 10 books on that list, but I read a total of 19 non-fiction books.

Here are the 5  19 books I read (or listened to) for this challenge:

1. Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean, by Richard Logan and Tere Duperrault Fassbender - fascinating story of a child who survived the unthinkable.
2. Indian Chieftains and Great Heroes, by Charles Eastman - short stories shedding new light on Native American history (audiobook)
3. The Basque History of the World, by Mark Kurlansky - a bit dry but still education and worth reading (audiobook)
4. The Lost City of Z, by David Grann - fascinating look at jungle exploration and treasure hunting (audiobook)
5. The Eyes of Willie McGee, by Alex Heard - racism and rape charges in the 1940's American South, and the repercussion that last to this day
6. Crazy for the Storm, by Norman Ollestad - another child survival story, this time on a mountain
7. Blizzard: The Storm That Changed America, by Jim Murphy - excellent short book that taught me a great deal (audiobook)
8. Beyond Smart, by Linda Morgan - this parenting book wasn't much help to me
9. Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown - heartbreaking look Native American history from the Native American perspective - A MUST READ (audiobook)
10. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer - an inspiring reminder of what you can do if you simply put your mind to it 
11. Steve and Me, by Terri Irwin - heartwarming love story between the Crocodile Hunter and his wife, and between the both of them and the natural world
12. We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young, by Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway - important story of a turning-point battle in Vietnam (audiobook)
13. We Are Soldiers Still, by Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway - Vietnam veterans return to the scene of their greatest battle and reconcile with their enemy - I liked parts of this book (audiobook)
14. American Widow, by Alissa Torres - a 9/11 widow's story told in graphic (comic) format
15. Kon-Tiki, by Thor Heyerdahl - fascinating story of a raft journey across the Pacific Ocean
16. Outcasts United, by Warren St. John - bringing together refugee boys to create a soccer team - excellent book
17. Naked In Eden, by Robin Easton - had a promising start but fell flat for me
18. Smile, by Raina Telgemeier - hilarious memoir in graphic novel format about getting braces and being a pre-teen 
19. Once A Warrior King, by David Donovan - a very different look at the war in Vietnam - highly recommended

Did anyone else participate in this challenge?  How did you do?  What was the best book you read for the challenge?  I enjoyed so many of these, I'd be hard pressed to pick just one ...

Once A Warrior King

Once A Warrior King

by David Donovan

352 pages 

*** About the Book ***

Like so many other Americans, David Donovan served in Vietnam for one year; his experiences, however, were not the norm.  He didn't serve with a large American unit or live on a base with lots of other Americans.  Instead, Donovan and four other soldiers were assigned to a tiny outpost in a rural village in the Mekong Delta.  Their job was to train the local population in military tactics and to build trust between the Vietnamese villages and the American military.

Donovan describes his position in the village as a "warrior king" because of the level of control he had over the people there.  He truly cared about them and wanted to do the best job that he could but he is also honest about the way that power can go to one's head.

You can learn more about David Donovan (the name is a pseudonym) at his website: http://ddonovanbooks.com/index.html.


*** Why I (re)Read It ***

I first read this book when I was in high school.  My dad picked it up at a yard sale, read it, then gave it to me with the explanation that it was similar to his own experiences in Vietnam.  I remember reading it avidly and getting a lot out of it, but that's all I remember.

This book has been on my shelf ever since then and I always intended to reread it so I could understand more about my dad's wartime experiences.  The War Through the Generations: Vietnam Challenge gave me the push I needed to pick it up now.


*** My Thoughts ***

This is a VERY good book.  It presents a side of the American involvement in Vietnam that many people are unaware of.  In fact, it presents a war that is almost unrecognizable when compared to other combat narratives.

Imagine being miles away from other Americans (not counting the 4 men on your team), having very little contact with the rest of the American military, being unable to rely on backup forces if you are under attack, not having reliable access to supplies, doctors, or evacuation helicopters.  Add to that the need to blend into village life, establish trust between the villagers and yourself, negotiate a very different culture, and deal with local governmental corruption.  Then throw in the need to train the local militia, the lack of modern weaponry, the confusion over who is spying for the Viet Cong, and the lack of respect given to local troops by the American military in general.  Mix that all together and you have some idea of what war was like for Donovan.

One thing I loved about this book was the respect Donovan had for the Vietnamese people.  He didn't think of them as second class citizens, or refer to them using derogatory nicknames.  He truly got to know and respect many of the people in the village, and he desired to do the best job he could for their benefit.

The book doesn't stop when Donovan leaves Vietnam.  Although he doesn't spend much time on it, Donovan is very honest about the difficulty he had adjusting to civilian life amid the strong anti-war sentiment of the 1970s.  The story closes with his trip to Washington, DC for the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; this section made me cry.

Although I know my dad's experiences were not a mirror reflection of Donovan's, this book helped me to get an idea of what being in Vietnam was like for my dad.  As such, it holds a treasured place on my bookshelf.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Have you ever read about this part of the war in Vietnam?  Can you recommend any other books that deal with similar experiences?  Are you interested in reading this one?

We Are Soldiers Still

We Are Soldiers Still:
A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam

by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway

audiobook: 6.75 hours

narrated by Joseph L. Galloway

*** About the Book ***

Following the publication of their first book, We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young, Moore and Galloway finally achieve their dream of returning to the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam, the site of a major turning-point battle in 1965. In this book the two men chronicles that journey and recall memories of the battle, and Moore shares his thoughts on leadership.


*** Why I Listened To It ***

After finishing We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young (my review is here) I knew I wanted to find out more about Moore and Galloway.  I'd heard of this book before so I reserved a copy from the library and started listening as soon as I could.


*** My Thoughts ***

As I listened to the first several CDs of this book all I could think about is that THIS is the book people need to read in order to get some sort of closure on the Vietnam War.

The first part of the book details the journeys Moore and Galloway took to Vietnam over the course of several years.  Most of the focus is on one particular trip though, the one that finally took them back to the Ia Drang battlefield in the company of the Vietnamese officers they fought against so many years ago.  Hearing how these men - enemies for so many years - came together to mourn the loss of life on both sides was truly amazing.

As did their first book, this one also contains the stories of many other men who fought in the Ia Drang.  In fact, you could easily read this book without having read the first book and still understand the battle and it's impact. 

The final portion of the book contains Moore's advice on and stories about good leadership.  This section was fascinating and inspiring.  I learned a lot about leadership and it gave me much to think about.

However.

The two portions of the book are so radically different that it felt to me like two completely separate books had been bound together to make a new book.  On their own each section is excellent but they really don't belong together. It just didn't work for me.

There's a lot of humor in this book (especially relating to the oddities of travel in Vietnam) and a lot of heart. In spite of my feeling that the two parts of the book don't mesh, I'm really, really glad that I listened to it.


*** About the Narrator ***

It took me a little while to get used to Galloway's narration but in the end it worked for me.  He has a slow way of speaking, almost-but-not-quite too slow for my taste.  His intimate knowledge of the story and the men, however, gave him an authority that I appreciate when listening to non-fiction audio.  I knew that when his voice was serious, the story was serious, and that when he spoke with a laugh in his voice, what might have "read" as horrible actually did have some humor to it.


*** Your Thoughts ****

Thanks to the War Through the Generations Challenge: Vietnam I'm finally overcoming my reluctance to read books set in this era.  I'm also finding that I really enjoy "themed" reading; the various books all seem to complement each other in a variety of ways.

Are you participating in this challenge?  Do you have a hard time reading books about the Vietnam War?  Why or why not?

Smile

Smile

by Raina Telgemeier

graphic novel/memoir

224 pages

I think I just found my favorite graphic memoir.

*** About the Book ***

When Raina was in the 6th grade she tripped and fell and knocked out her 2 front teeth.  Over the next 4 years she went though a whole slew of dental procedures to get her smile back.  After telling people her crazy story for years she decided to make it into a weekly web comic, which was later compiled into this book.  The story includes not only her dental issues but the typical issues of a tween/teen - boys, friends, acne, siblings, etc.


*** Why I Read It ***

This month my book club chose "graphic memoirs" as our theme.  Everyone chose a different book to read and at the meeting we shared our thoughts on the book and the genre.  One of the other gals read this book and said that it reminded her of growing up in the 1980s.  Since she and I are the same age I thought I'd give this one a try, so I took it home with me that night.


*** My Thoughts ***

Did you catch the first line of this review above?  I LOVED THIS BOOK! I started reading it when I got home from book club and devoured the entire thing before I fell asleep that night.

Let me remind you, dear readers, that until now I have not been all that impressed with the graphic book format. I've said before that although I did enjoy some of the ones I read, I wasn't really a convert to the genre.  After reading Smile, I just might have to revise that ...

My reasons for loving this are very personal.  Not in the "personal-meaning-private" way but in the "personal-meaning-individual-to-me" way.  I don't know if other readers would have the same experience I did so I'll share with you why I loved this book so much.

First, it's set in the late 1980s and/or early 1990s.  Raina reads The Baby Sitter Club books, plays Mario Brothers on the original Nintendo (and subscribes to Nintendo Power!), shops for lightning bolt earrings at Contempo, talks to her friends about New Kids on the Block, and so on.  These are all the things I did at her age! It was like revisiting my tween and teen years.

Second, when I was in the 3rd grade I was tripped in gym class and knocked out one of my brand new front teeth.  The part in the book where Raina is lying on the ground making sure she hasn't broken any bones? Been there, done that.  The part where she sits up and realizes there is blood dripping down her chin?  Been there, done that too.  And the part where she has her friends scavenging around in search of her tooth?  Oh yeah, I've done THAT too.  Thankfully the root of my tooth was intact and a sliver of it still protruded from the gum.  I had to have it bonded (another experience I share with Raina - she describes it very well) and for the most part it looked pretty normal.  It felt a bit thicker than my other front tooth but I got used to it.  It does have a tendency to yellow more than a real tooth though, so before I got married I had it rebonded.  It's been 12 years since then and it's definitely starting to show ... eventually I'll need a porcelain cap if I want it to match the rest of my teeth. ANYWAY, my point is that I really identified with Raina's experiences.

Third, Raina does a great job capturing the feeling of being a tween/teen.  She talks about her first crush, the way her "friends" tease her (they even pantsed her - another experience we share, except that when it happened to me it was done by a boy I had a crush on, and when my pants came down my underwear went with them - oh the horror!), the drama of acne, and so on.  It was so real for me.  I mean, of course it was REAL - this is Raina's real story after all - but it felt real as well.

And finally, I love the illustrations (which she did herself).  They have the feel of the Sunday comic section of the newspaper, if that makes sense.  The images move in standard comic strip logic, across the page from left to right and top to bottom.  That format works much better for me than the more creative layouts I've seen in other graphic novels/memoirs.

Oh, I just had to add that Kiddo started reading this one as well.  He saw it on the couch and read up to page 20 before he had to go to bed.  I think he wants to continue with it - what fun!


*** Your Thoughts ***

Ok, now that I've told you why I love this book so much (picture me actually hugging the book and you'll get the idea) it's your turn to chime in.  Have you read this one?  What did you think of it?  If you haven't read it, have you heard of it?  Are you interested in reading it?  Please share your thoughts.

Quotes that are sticking with me, from two Vietnam books

I don't often share specific quotes from the books I'm reading/listening to but two particular passages have stuck with me over recent weeks.  They are both from Vietnam War memoirs, and though very different they each speak about the best parts of men in battle.


From We Are Soldiers Still (audio disk 4, track 3):

I yelled at him, 'Gimme some water!" I was really thirsty. The guy looked at me and said, "You're shot in the stomach, I can't give you water." 

So I asked him for some morphine. I told him I'd used mine up on the other wounded and it really hurts. He said, "You're shot in the head, I can't give you morphine." 

So I said, "Well then, give me a cigarette." He gave me that.

This section was read by the narrator with a laugh in his voice, and honestly it made me laugh out loud as well.  It is so completely outrageous and horrible, yet the guy it happened to seemed to take it all in stride.


From Once A Warrior King (page 153):

[During an intense firefight in Vietnam Lt. Donovan recalls a lesson he learned in Officer Candidate School.]

[Major] Herbert said, "If your troops are down and won't move, you simply have to stand up and lead by personal example.  You have to calmly walk over and talk with your squad leaders, urge the men up, and give a personal demonstration that the danger isn't as bad as they thought."

"But sir," I had protested, "we're talking about really heavy stuff coming in. What if the fire is so hot you can't get up? You can't just stand up in a hail of bullets! You'd be cut to pieces!"

Major Herbert looked me dead in the eye and said, "You know that every enlisted man in this army has to salute an officer when he goes by?"

"Yes, sir." 

You know about the O-clubs, the BOQ's, and other privileges officers are given in this army?"

"Yes, sir."

"You know that you'll get better pay and housing than enlisted men who often have twice the knowledge and ten times the experience you do?"

"Yes, sir," I replied again, beginning to feel somewhat chagrined.

"Well, in point of fact you stand the risk of having to earn every little perk you ever get.  When all the chips are down, when the privates won't move and the sargeants won't move and fear has taken over everything, all the responsibility falls on your shoulders.  That's why you have the commission and they don't.  You took the rank, you took the priveleges, now you have to pay your dues.  You've got to stand up and by God lead those men! [...] You just remember this: the day you have to be the first one to stand up and say, 'Follow me,' that's the day you will earn every salute you ever get."

That quote reminds me so much of the movie We Were Soldiers, when Sgt. Maj. Plumley (played by Sam Elliot) walks around straight and tall while the rest of the men are lying on the ground.  That wasn't artistic license - according to the book (which I reviewed here) that's exactly what Plumley did.

My reviews of both of these books are coming in the next week or so, in case I've peaked your interest ...

Dueling Monsters: Jekyll and Hyde Kickoff

Welcome to Dueling Monsters: Round Two, and the home of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde portion of the read-a-long. [Looking for The Portrait of Dorian Gray portion of the read-a-long? Visit Fizzy Thoughts.]

Here's a list of everyone who is reading along.  There's still time to sign up if you haven't already! 

Participants:

• My Reader's Block  
• My Two Blessings
• The Introverted Reader 
• Melody Likes Words  
• Fizzy Thoughts  
• The Zen Leaf  
• Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity  
• Life Is A Patchwork Quilt
• Subliminal Intervention
• My Friend Amy
• Milk and Honey Quilts 

Below are some questions to consider as you read the book this month. You can choose to answer some/all of the questions in a post on your blog or in the comment section here (if you answer on your blog be sure to leave a link to that post in the comments here), you can include some of the answers in your review of the book, or you can ignore the questions altogether.

On Oct. 15 I’ll check in with you again to see how your reading is progressing, then on Oct. 31 (Halloween!) I’ll do the final post and link to everyone’s reviews.

And now, the questions …

From Shmoop*:

1. Part of the implication of "Dr. Jekyll’s Account" is that Man Cannot Always Be Good. No matter how hard Dr. Jekyll tries to live a good, upstanding, sober life, he can’t resist the temptation of transforming into Mr. Hyde. Is this true of mankind? Can we never build a good society?
2. Having read Dr. Jekyll's version of events (and assuming we believe him), how much blame can we assign him? Should we blame his oppressive society or his lack of moral character? Another way of asking this: is Dr. Jekyll a sympathetic character?
3. Does the novel suffer due to its lack of female characters? How would it have been different with, say, a female narrator?
4. Evaluate the book’s psychological accuracy. Do these characters think the way people do?
5. What do you think about the way in which the book is told, with multiple viewpoints with a dry lawyer at the center? Does it work?
6. What is the effect of the two narratives at the end? Does this dual explanation have anything to do with the dual nature of Jekyll/Hyde? Or is it just to provide an eyewitness account?
   
   My Questions:
   
7. Based on #2 above, do you think Dr. Jekyll is a reliable narrator? Why or why not?
8. If you have read any other book by Robert Louis Stevenson, how does this compare?
   
   From a college class’s website:
   
9. In what sense might the Victorian period’s rigid moral standards be responsible for Dr. Jekyll’s tragic transformation into the evil Hyde? In other words, according to Stevenson’s story, what makes a man like Jekyll--a good Victorian, really--become the criminal Hyde?
10. In an earlier short story called “Markheim” (1874) Stevenson wrote that “evil consists not in action but in character.” How is that statement applicable to the various characters’ interest in discovering the facts behind “the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”?

*If you are not familiar with Shmoop, definitely check it out! They have some excellent resources for a wide variety of books.

Real-life hilarity

Possibly the most hilarious real-life thing that has happened in recent memory ...

Background: Kiddo LOVES Michael Jackson. He listens to MJ's music all the time and practices the dance moves too.  He even dresses like him on occasion (note the hat and gloves in the video).

The Setup: While walking on the boardwalk during our beach weekend we heard a radio playing Michael Jackson songs.  It belonged to a street performer who was on break.  He'd left it playing and left his tip bucket sitting next to it.


The Event:


Yes, that is me wheezing, snorting, and cackling like a maniac in the background - I could NOT stop laughing!